Source: Police and Denver reach agreement in 2007 overtime lawsuit

Posted By
Jeremy Meyer
On
December 15, 2011 @ 1:19 pm
In
Crime and Courts,Denver City Hall |
1 Comment

A lawsuit[1] filed in 2007 by 856 Denver police[2] officers, seeking repayment for the time they spend putting on uniforms and “required safety gear,” may be coming to a conclusion, according to a source who asked not to be named.

The source said that it appears that a tentative settlement has been reached in the so-called “donning and doffing” lawsuit, which was filed in federal court and was moving forward to trial.

Calls to the city attorney’s office or representatives of the police union for details have not immediately been returned.

In 2010, U.S. District Court Judge Richard Matsch ruled the suit could go to trial and city officials feared that a ruling for the plaintiff could cost the city millions of dollars.

Officers in the suit, Rogers vs. City and County of Denver[3], also sought compensation for time spent cleaning and maintaining uniforms and equipment and department vehicles as well as time spent before and after shifts on various work-related activities, such as writing reports.

Estimates that the city could have been on the hook for as much as $100 million.

The settlement would have to be approved by the police and City Council.